Choosing Sustainable Design
Kathryn Wrobel
“Should the paper be made from PCW, virgin fibers, or both? Should it be treated or
untreated, coated or uncoated? Should it be PCF, TCF, or ECF? Should the paper even
contain wood? Do the inks contain VOCs and therefore should they be petrochemicalbased inks or soy-based inks? Should the printing method be offset, digital, or something
else entirely? Are aqueous coatings and varnishes preferable to spot work? Is perfect,
double loop, spiral, or saddle wire binding better for the environment? Confused?”1
--Graphic design, like all forms of design, is about finding solutions. Whether the client is a
small business that needs a logo or a major corporation who needs promotional materials, every
project takes a problem and, through design, solves it. But with these design problems-turnedsolutions comes a much more detrimental underlying issue– the hugely negative environmental
impact of every step of the design process. Many designers are hesitant to wander into the new
territories of tree-free papers and vegetable-based inks. They either want to stick with the ways
of designing that they’ve always known, or they are too uninformed about sustainable options to
make any changes. As the above quote explains, there are plenty of options to create more
sustainable designs, but the wide array of choices in addition to there being pros and cons
associated with each choice can make it confusing. There is much more decision-making to the
process of creating a sustainable piece than simply saying you want eco-friendly ink and paper.
This lack of knowledge in the area of sustainability is a huge flaw in the field of print design, and
1
Edward Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design (Switzerland: RotoVision SA, 2008), 10.
my goal was to research it so that I can learn and inform other designers about how we can start
saving the planet. There are aspects of the design itself that will affect the sustainability of the
material in the long run. Choosing the right paper, ink, printing process, and shipping can
drastically change how eco-friendly a project can be. Designing a piece with its final destination
in mind– be it a landfill or a recycling plant– can help in making the most sustainable choices of
material for that piece. With every decision is a choice to make a change towards being
sustainable. It is time for all graphic designers to make that change.
--“The whole gamut of sustainable, green, eco-friendly, carbon-neutral, non-toxic,
organic, recyclable, biodegradable, fair-trade epithets, to name only a few, appears
like a minefield beyond which lies some sort of environmental utopia where all
design is faultless”2
--There is no denying the fact that graphic design is a great contributor to the everworsening state of the environment. Rather than acknowledging this and accepting guilt for the
numerous forms of waste being created because of their work, graphic designers have a variety
of choices to make to reverse the damage design has done thus far. All of this begins with the
design itself. The key to choosing the most sustainable options throughout the design process is
working backwards. The first step is to determine the number of pieces that need to be produced;
this, in turn, determines the best process for printing, or in some cases, whether the design needs
to be printed at all. Knowing which type of printer will be used will lead to determining the type
of paper available for that printing process, which then decides the size of paper available. Once
2
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 7.
all of these factors are figured out, the designer can do what is referred to as ‘designing a press
sheet.’3 By knowing the dimensions of the paper that the design will be printed on, the designer
can maximize the space on the paper by formatting the layout of their design specifically to the
press sheet. Furthermore, knowing the press sheet size prior to designing a piece allows the
designer to rearrange or modify the size and shape of their design to lay out as many impressions
of the design as possible per press sheet. Using a standard sheet size is always a good option
because it reduces the time needed to set up a press, which in turn uses less energy.4
So, once the printer tells you the press sheet sizes available, you can start your design,
right? Wrong. Much more math must enter into the equation before the creation of a design can
begin. First, a half of an inch is subtracted from each side of the sheet to allow space for the color
bars to be printed and for the printer to grip the paper while printing. The space remaining after
the half-inch margin is subtracted is called the ‘live area,’ which is simply the space available for
printing. If multiple impressions of a design are being printed on a sheet, another quarter-inch
must be subtracted from each impression to allow for the sheet to make a cut between each
impression. If a design is going to have a full-bleed, or edge-to-edge ink coverage, yet another
quarter inch must be subtracted from each impression. The last trim to consider is when creating
something with multiple pages; this usually means the paper will be trimmed a third time after
being bound in order to ensure clean and aligned edges.5 What does all of this have to do with
sustainability? Certainly, fitting the maximum number of impressions per sheet minimizes the
amount of paper waste. Each of those trims creates more paper waste as well. The half-inch
margin cannot be avoided, and neither can the extra quarter-inch around each impression (unless
only one impression is being printed per page), but the bleed is very much avoidable. Full-bleed
3
Brian Dougherty, Green Graphic Design (New York: Allworth Press, 2008), 105.
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 20.
5 Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 114-115.
4
designs can create beautiful printed pieces, but they definitely are not worth the extra waste they
accrue. Another type of trim waste is that of die cutting; any shapes cut out of a piece are
immediate waste. Similarly, tabbed pages are extremely wasteful as an extra half inch or so must
be added on to a piece, only for the majority of it to be discarded so that a tab may exist.6
Designers must think before they design. Though elements like full-bleeds and die-cuts can make
a piece aesthetically interesting, they have far too great an impact on the environment to continue
to incorporate them into designs. The challenge is to design a piece that is just as strong and to
keep it as sustainable as possible.
As mentioned earlier, depending on the quantity that needs to be produced (and the level
of environmental responsibility of the client), there may be alternative ways to produce a piece
outside of printing. In some instances, projects with large numbers of pages (such as annual
reports) can be made more eco-friendly by printing a condensed version with only the most
important information, and leaving the rest as a PDF on the company’s website. This way, there
is still something tangible to be used or handed out by the company, but the waste and energy
usage of the whole project has been drastically reduced. A similar approach is to design the piece
to stay on-screen by sending it via e-mail or posting it on a website. In many cases, keeping
information online is just as effective as printing a postcard or a brochure, and it is undoubtedly
more sustainable. After all, only about 2.6% of recipients of all direct mail respond to it; this
means that a company sending a mailer to 10,000 people prints 10,000 of these mailers knowing
that 9,740 of them will be immediately discarded.7 That’s about as environmentally irresponsible
as it gets. This exorbitant amount of purposeful waste can be eliminated with a little extra effort
from the client and the designer combined; research can be done to see the effectiveness of
6
7
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 117.
Ibid., 38.
similar projects in the past so a design can be modified based on those research results to be
more effective and well received.
Aside from the ‘working backwards’ concept and finding ways to print as little as
possible, there are a number of simple choices that designers can make during the designing
phase of the project. One of the simplest and most obvious ways is to reduce the amount of
materials used throughout the process before the piece is even sent to the printer. Reconsidering
what a piece was originally intended to be must be discussed with a client prior to beginning the
design and may result in creating something much more sustainable. Brochures can become
postcards; CDs can become Internet downloads; materials mailed in envelopes can be redone to
become a self-mailer to eliminate the need for an envelope. Every bit of reducing use of
materials is a step in a more sustainable direction. This not only applies to paper but also to ink;
minimizing ink coverage or using fewer colors of ink are both viable options. For multiple-paged
projects, designers can consider using one color of ink for the entire piece and reserving a more
vibrant four-color ink print for the cover. Reducing materials can also apply to reducing the
number of pieces involved in a project, or by creating multi-functional pieces. Rather than
creating both a poster and a brochure, create a brochure that becomes a poster when opened to its
full size. This saves materials and energy while reducing waste and costs, a win-win situation for
client, designer, and environment.
Designers must meet with clients periodically to show the progress of a project and get a
client’s approval, so printing out drafts for each meeting adds up to a significant use of paper.
Designers can show progress or minor changes on a project with a PDF or through screen
sharing until the piece is near completion and must be printed to review it. When printing is
necessary, drafts should be printed on both sides of a paper or on the back of scrap press sheets.
Of course, double-checking everything is always crucial before printing; finding a spelling error
in a brochure after having 100,000 of them printed would be an enormous waste.
Finally, it is always good for designers to promote sustainability in their work. Adding
something to a piece to encourage the recipient to recycle it does have an effect. Working with
clients who have the same passion towards sustainability is always a plus, as it is difficult to
persuade disinterested clients to go with more eco-friendly options. Doing pro-bono work for
environmental groups, for example, not only promotes and assists in whatever that group is
working towards, but also establishes the designer as being sustainable. Making one’s focus on
environmentally friendly design known can attract clients as well as those clients’ customers.
--“Imagine this design assignment: design something that makes oxygen, sequesters
carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars
and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self-replicates.
Why don't we knock that down and write on it?”8
--There is such an overwhelming issue with paper usage that it is hard to say which of the
many statistics on this issue is most impressive. I could tell you that currently, over 350 tons of
paper are used worldwide each year, nearing one million tons every single day. 9 I could tell you
that “the paper industry is the fourth largest industrial producer of carbon dioxide, accounting for
nine percent of greenhouse gas emissions.”10 Or, I could tell you that graphic design is at fault for
8
William McDonough, William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle Design. TED Talk, 2005, 10:59.
Wendy Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2010), 265
10
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 124.
9
one third of all logging worldwide.11 Clearly, there is a tremendous issue with paper usage and
the effects it is having on the environment. At first thought, choosing any recycled paper sounds
like a sustainable option paper-wise for a design project. On the contrary, there is much more
knowledge required in order to find the absolute best option. If a paper made from 100%
recycled content comes from an environmentally careless paper mill, that paper has still
contributed to environmental destruction.
Prior to delving into the choices available for graphic designers when it comes to paper, it
is important to understand the process that paper undergoes at a mill, specifically the first half of
the process which has the most potential of harming the environment. For virgin-fiber paper
(paper made from sources that have not yet been through the paper-making process), trees are
chopped into pieces and enter into a heated and pressurized bath of water and chemicals. The
tree material needed to produce paper is cellulose, so the purpose of the chemicals in the bath is
to dissolve everything other than cellulose. This mixture creates pulp, which is filtered to remove
any unwanted particles. The pulp is then bleached with chemicals to achieve brightness. From
here, the pulp continues on to be spread into sheets and dried to become paper. The same basic
process is employed for recycled paper with the addition of a primary step. Loose particles like
paper clips and staples must be removed in a sorting process before sending the remaining
contaminant-free paper to the chemical bath to create pulp. The filtering stage for recycled
papers starts with removing contaminants (such as coatings and adhesives) and then transferring
the pulp to a device where pockets of air are mixed with the pulp so all ink particles float to the
top of the mixture.12 The ink skimmed off of the top is called de-inking sludge, which is basically
pure solid waste. The paper is then bleached, spread into sheets, and dried like virgin paper.
11
12
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 9.
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 322-323.
When virgin material and recycled paper are being used to make partially-recycled paper, all
steps of the above two paper-making processes are combined.
So what are the differences between sustainably- and unsustainably-produced papers?
The water use, bleaching process, and energy use. The bath used to make pulp is 98% water13
which is how the “pulp and paper industry is the number one industrial user of water
worldwide.”14 The environment is being negatively impacted not only by the vast amounts of
water being taken from it, but also by the contaminated effluent from pulping and bleaching. The
effluent from paper mills is the third most hazardous effluent, coming right after the chemical
and steel industries.15 The reason that the water becomes so hazardous is because of the process
that occurs during the bleaching stage. “When chlorine combines with wood and water, it
produces trace amounts of dioxin, a chemical that is extremely toxic, persists in the environment,
and bioaccumulates, meaning it stays in the food chain as contaminated plants and animals are
eaten by other animals.”16 With the amount of water used by paper mills, there is an outrageous
amount of contaminated water being spewed into the rivers and therefore into the environment,
causing long-lasting damage to all living things exposed to it. To take the more sustainable route
in this detrimental situation, designers should choose papers with high percentages of recycled
content. It takes 50% less water to repulp paper than to create pulp from virgin materials.17 A
new and much more eco-friendly approach, called TEF manufacturing (Totally Effluent Free) is
now being used by some paper mills. This process keeps water inside of the paper mill to be used
repeatedly, being filtered between each pulping process to eliminate both the continued use of
13
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 132.
Ibid., 134.
15
Scott Boylston, Designing Sustainable Packaging (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2009), 30.
16
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 134.
17
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 9.
14
water and the release of harmful effluent. Using paper from a mill that practices TEF
manufacturing is essential.
Additionally, steps are being taken to decrease the adverse effects of the bleaching
process by lowering or even eliminating the use of chlorine. Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
paper is created by bleaching the pulp with chlorine derivatives like chlorine dioxide rather than
chlorine itself. This change reduces chlorine emissions by a minimum of 90%. In some cases,
hydrogen peroxide is used in place of chlorine dioxide, leading to a brilliant white bleaching
process with an even smaller environmental impact. While most North American pulp mills
currently employ the ECF process, advanced technology has allowed European mills to utilize
oxygen-based bleaching which eliminates the use of chlorine altogether. The chlorine-free
process is called Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) when used for virgin pulp and Process Chlorine
Free (PCF) for recycled paper. Recycled paper cannot be called ‘totally chlorine free’ since there
is no way of knowing the chlorine processes that the recycled paper has formerly been through;
the only guarantee that can be made is that it has been most recently repulped with a chlorinefree process.18 While the TCF process is the ideal option, the ECF and PCF processes are still
much more sustainable choices; any pulping process with the inclusion of elemental chlorine
should be avoided at all costs.
The last main culprit of unsustainability at paper mills is energy use. Far too many paper
mills still depend on nonrenewable resources such as coal and natural gas for their energy
supply. Usually, both the paper making machines and the boilers used in drying the paper rely on
these fossil fuels to run.19 Luckily, there are numerous ways that paper mills can shift to more
sustainable practices. The boilers require thermal energy and therefore may be powered by
18
19
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 134.
Ibid., 137.
burning wood chips or sludge from local wastewater.20 Some mills have begun using wind
turbines for their energy supply while others use the waste heat from power plants to run their
machinery. Biogas, an energy source taken from nearby landfills, is also becoming a popular
option; not only does it end the use of fossil fuels for the mill’s energy, but it also makes use of
this byproduct of landfills that otherwise serves only as a pollutant.21 Though it takes some extra
research, it is an essential part of an eco-conscious designer’s role to find the paper mills that are
using these innovative approaches to ecological paper making and choosing papers that come
only from these mills.
While virgin papers somehow remain a popular choice in print design, forests are
diminishing, with less than 20% of the earth’s original forest coverage still in existence.22
Organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promote sustainable and
responsible forestry by ensuring the well being of the forest’s local communities, maintaining the
forest’s biological diversity, and conserving its resources.23 Paper made from companies that
practice sustainable forestry may be FSC certified, which is displayed on either the paper itself or
in print material it is used for. Regardless of the helpfulness and good intentions of organizations
such as this, the obviously most sustainable option is to keep existing trees as they are and work
only from recycled materials or tree-free papers. Post-consumer recycled fiber (PCR) is paper
that has already been used and is being repulped and reprocessed to make new paper. When a
plant processes batches of only PCR fibers, the paper that is produced is 100% recycled. The
PCR percentage assigned to the paper denotes the percentage of PCR fiber that the paper
contains; that is, if recycled materials are combined with virgin materials to make a batch of
20
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 138.
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 46.
22
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 265.
23
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 129.
21
paper, that batch may be only 50% PCR content. PCR fiber is a great choice for eco-friendly
designs because it requires 64% less energy than virgin fibers in the paper making process,24
therefore reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that would be emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Since the process of repulping fibers consumes energy even when the fibers are 100% recycled,
the most sustainable way to use fibers is to utilize some form of waste paper without sending it
through processing. This is most often an unrealistic option as waste paper is most likely already
printed on, but if a workable material presents itself, or a project that allows for this idea comes
up, this option is one to keep in mind.25
Bamboo is another fiber source for papers, growing quicker than wood and constantly
replenishing itself from its roots, therefore not requiring replanting. The option of utilizing
bamboo as the paper source should be limited to designers in Asia, where the vast majority of
bamboo grows; the energy and waste caused by shipping the bamboo elsewhere would defeat the
sustainability of using the plant in the first place.26 Another sustainable option is to use the parts
left over once crops for food sources are harvested; this is called agricultural residue, or ‘agripulp.’ Using these sources as the base for paper saves living fiber sources while finding a use for
otherwise useless waste. This is not widely popular in The United States just yet, but popular
agri-pulp sources elsewhere around the world include wheat straw, banana fiber, rice straw, and
sugar cane bagasse.27 Another harvesting leftover that can be transformed into paper use is cotton
linters. These pieces are the short fibers left over once the rest of the plant is processed to create
fabric. When using cotton linters, it is important to get it only from organic growers as larger
24
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 136.
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 113.
26
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 131.
27
Ibid.
25
cotton-picking corporations use toxic chemicals and environment-harming pesticides.28 Another
interesting alternative to regular paper is seed paper, in which flower or plant seeds are
intertwined with the paper fibers. The paper can then be planted in soil, allowing the seeds to
sprout into plants while the biodegradable paper’s fibers dissolve. This option gives a second
purpose to the paper, which encourages its reuse.29
One tree-free paper gaining popularity is TerraSkin. It is a mineral-based paper,
consisting of 80% calcium carbonate and 20% binding materials and created in a water-free
production process. Because there are no fibers to this paper, less ink is necessary in printing
because the ink doesn’t soak into the sheet.30
One Australian company that has found a very sustainable paper source in banana trees is
Papyrus. Banana trees are cut down annually once the bananas are done being harvested. Papyrus
has found the technology to create paper from banana tree trunks in a low-energy, chemical-free,
water-free process. This is the track that more paper companies need to be on, finding
sustainable ways to convert waste into something useful without harming the environment in
the process.
Synthetic paper is a hugely sustainable option for paper but its use is not widespread just
yet. It is made entirely from plastic resins and inorganic fillers and is waterproof, durable, and
recyclable. Progress is still being made on this material; the goal is for it to be made in a
renewable energy-sourced process from a purely agricultural waste-based biopolymer material
that can be both biodegradable and infinitely recycled. When this goal is achieved and the
ultimate synthetic paper is successfully created, this will be the definitive sustainable choice for
any and all designers.
28
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 131.
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 17.
30
Ibid, 67.
29
--“This debris comprises either the byproducts of past design pursuits or former designs
themselves, many of which doubtlessly were, once upon a time, rigorously marketed
and promoted in glowing tones before becoming obsolete; replaced by a new
generation of future waste.”31
--The printing process is the largest contributor to the environmental impact of most
printed materials– more than the combined impacts of paper and ink.32 There isn’t a single step
of the printing process that is good for the environment. Some forms of printing are moving
towards sustainability but none are entirely there yet. The choices a designer makes regarding the
amount that will be printed and the type of printing process used for each project is what makes
the difference in the sustainability of the printing job. A majority of the time, the price per sheet
goes down as the quantity of sheets to be printed goes up. Designers and their clients may choose
to have a larger quantity of the piece printed just in case they need it; after all, buying in bulk is
effectively a better deal. How, though, is it rational to have 5,000 sheets printed when only 1,000
are actually necessary? Sure, one of those extra 4,000 sheets may be used eventually, but that is
certainly not enough to validate the production of the print material in such excess. Chances are,
the extra 4,000 won’t be necessary at all and will end up as waste.
The quantity of a print job is the deciding factor for what type of press to use. The largest
jobs of 50,000 or more impressions are done on a web offset press or a roto-gravure press. For
these large jobs, rolls of paper are fed at high speeds through the press and then through ovens
for a quicker drying time. This heating process, however, uses a great deal of energy all while
31
32
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 6.
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 106.
emitting harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs; compounds that cause air pollution and
ozone depletion) into the air. For jobs of this size, designers should choose one of two more
environmentally responsible options. The first is to print from a web offset or roto-gravure press
that uses UV drying as opposed to the traditional oven-heating method. The UV lights require
less energy and they don’t release the VOCs into the air. The second option is to use a press
whose system captures the VOC emissions to turn them into heat energy to be reused by the
press, therefore decreasing outside energy usage and keeping VOCs from entering the
atmosphere.33
For print jobs between 1,000 and 50,000 impressions, a conventional sheet-fed offset
press is used. This press is similar to the larger web offset press with the exception of the paper
being in sheets rather than on a roll. The first of two sustainable options for the offset press is
waterless printing. Traditional offset presses use mixtures of water and high-VOC alcohol
(which speeds up evaporation) on press rollers to repel ink where it isn’t intended to print.
Waterless presses use silicone coated blankets to repel ink in unwanted areas, therefore
eliminating the need for water, which then eliminates the need for alcohol in evaporation, which
in turn means no VOCs are involved. The waterless printing uses the oven-heating method to dry
the pages. UV printing is another more sensible option, using inks that harden from ultraviolet
exposure. The ink dries instantly allowing for a faster printing process, and dries only on paper
so the cleanup can use less toxic solutions.34 Something designers should always keep in mind
when using an offset press is the printing method of ‘gang printing.’ This involves using the
maximum size sheet of paper and printing multiple images or jobs together on that sheet. This
way, only one set of plates must be created, there is less waste because setup time for multiple
33
34
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 111.
Ibid., 110.
projects is only done once, and far less energy is consumed due to the much shorter running
time.
Even with some sustainable improvements available, offset presses still have numerous
downsides when it comes to environmental impact. Their setup consumes great amounts of
resources: “In four-color process printing, four plates are output and mounted onto rollers, ink
wells are filled, and paper is fed through the press as ink levels and roller pressure is adjusted.
All of the prints made during this make-ready phase are waste.”35 This ultimately means that
about 10% of paper for any given job is make-ready waste, not to mention the ink and energy
waste. The actual printing time, as mentioned, traditionally emits VOCs from the alcohol mixture
while consuming large amounts of fossil fuel-based energy and thereby contributing to ozone
depletion. The cleaning process involves using highly toxic solutions to remove ink from the
rollers, ink wells, and plates. Due to the large amounts of make-ready waste, air pollution, and
energy consumption of offset presses, the environmentally responsible decision is to only use
this type of press for at least 5,000 impressions or for jobs that would be running for at least one
hour after their setup. For anything smaller, a digital press should be used.
The digital press is the most environmentally friendly choice for jobs between one and
one thousand impressions, but it is also an option for print jobs of up to five thousand
impressions. The clear benefit of the digital press is that no waste is created. There is no makeready waste, no ink waste, and no plates are required for printing. This also means that the highly
toxic cleaning solutions are not used because none of the elements that require ink removal exist
in a digital press. The few points that detract designers from choosing this type of press are that it
can require specific qualities of paper which may eliminate the potential for 100% PCR papers,
35
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 106.
and that it is slower than its competing presses. These downsides seem quite insignificant when
comparing them to the detrimental downsides of the offset press, making the digital press seem
like the obvious winner. It is always important to keep in mind, though, that digital presses emit
fewer VOCs because of their shorter run time. The longer they run, the less impressive the
difference in VOC emission becomes, so it is best to use them for their intended quantities of 1
to 5,000 in order to keep their benefits.36
With every print job comes the decision for the type of ink to use. With digital presses,
the choice is narrowed down because toners are used rather than inks. For offset presses, there
are a variety of options. Ink is made of a combination of pigment and medium. The purpose of
the medium is to suspend pigment particles for printing and quickly dry once on paper so the
pigment bonds with the fibers. VOCs again come into play, as they are the compounds that allow
rapid evaporation of the medium.37 But VOCs aren’t the only concern for toxicity in offset inks;
metals like copper and zinc can be found in metallic or fluorescent inks, cobalt is commonly
used to speed up drying time, and various other metals are used to increase the vibrancy of a
pigment.38 Additionally, nearly 20% of the Pantone spot colors use metals and other toxic
chemicals. Using inks with toxic materials contributes to ozone depletion and creates an
unhealthy environment for anyone exposed to the printed piece. Once a designer knows to avoid
these dangerous ingredients in inks, they still have a variety of inks to choose from.
Most inks are made of nonrenewable petroleum, are not biodegradable, become a solid
waste or effluent waste in de-inking, are made of nearly 35% VOCs, and require toxic solutions
(made of 90% VOCs) to be cleaned from the press.39 Clearly, it is of utmost importance to steer
36
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 107.
Ibid., 112.
38
Ibid., 113.
39
Boylston, Designing Sustainable Packaging, 42.
37
clear of this type of ink by specifying one of the following options. Vegetable-based inks are
made primarily from sunflower or canola oils, but may still contain petroleum and therefore
toxic compounds.40 Though an improvement on standard inks, there is still a better option. Soy
inks are, as suggested, made with soybean oil. Their pigments are more vivid and they spread up
to 20% further than standard petroleum inks, allowing for a significant decrease in ink use. Soy
inks release themselves from paper fibers more willingly, which does less damage to paper fiber
and allows for an easier de-inking process.41 It is important for designers to ask the printer about
the actual ingredients of the soy ink; any of these inks may have the “soy label” which makes it
sound like an environmental choice. However, the ink only has to be 7% soy-based to have this
label, meaning that a “soy label” ink may actually contain over 90% petroleum.42 As long as the
ink contains a high percentage of soy, it is the best option in the category of ink.
--Elements that are generally taken into consideration during the process of creating
a design are the finishing touches on the piece; these may include varnishes, metallic effects,
and bindings. Knowing how these finishes affect the sustainability of a project in the long
run can immediately eliminate them from the design; most of them make the de-inking process
considerably more difficult and may even make the pieces they’re applied to impossible
to recycle.
One common finish is a varnish, which is essentially an ink without pigment. It is a clear
coating that is either combined with the ink during printing (called ‘wet-trapping’) or requires a
second run on the press to be applied over the ink (called dry-trapping’). Varnishes are often
chemical-based, which is unsustainable to begin with. Dry-trapping also requires twice as much
40
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 10.
Boylston, Designing Sustainable Packaging, 42.
42
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 113.
41
energy use as the sheets must be fed through the press another time just for a varnish. They are
difficult to remove from papers, and if they’re able to be removed, they’re only contributing to
the amount of waste of de-inking sludge.43 A second, more protective finish is a UV coating. It is
dried instantly with ultraviolet light, reducing production time and eliminating the release of
toxic chemicals. Being more protective, however, results in a harder coating and a more difficult
de-inking process.44 A third type of coating is a clear plastic film called a laminate. This coating
is used on items such as milk cartons, being applied to the entire piece to give it protection, water
resistance, and stability. The problem with laminates is that they are commonly made from
polyethylene, a non-renewable plastic that recycling equipment cannot remove from the paper,
prohibiting the recyclability of any laminated material.45
Luckily, some sustainable options to replace these unsustainable finishes have been
created. A soft-touch varnish is an eco-friendly alternative to all three abovementioned coatings.
It is water-based, applied during the same pass-through as the ink, contains no non-renewable
ingredients, and doesn’t emit destructive byproducts at any point in its lifetime.46 Though softtouch varnishes may be used in place of laminates, they don’t supply the same amount of
protection as traditional laminate coatings. Fortunately, laminates using bioplastics in place of
polyethylene have been recently introduced and gaining popularity. Bioplastics, which are made
entirely from annually renewable plants like corn, beets, and potatoes47), readily release
themselves from the material they are applied to, allowing for ease of recycling.48
43
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 331.
Ibid.
45
Ibid.
46
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 97.
47
Boylston, Designing Sustainable Packaging, 95.
48
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 331.
44
Applying a metallic finish to a piece can take a design to a whole new level aesthetically,
but their composition consisting of a combination of metals and chemicals makes them hands-off
for the sustainable designer. The production and application of metallic inks release
environment-damaging chemicals, a main reason for their lack of sustainability. The inclusion of
metal particles, just as in some non-metallic inks, is dangerous to human beings. The application
of metallic ink requires an additional run through the press for each color used, using much more
energy for such prolonged production time. Also, metallic inks generally must be printed on the
heavier paperboard and covered in non-renewable, chemical laden laminates. Two more
sustainable options have become available to create the same effect as the metal-filled finishes.
The first is called MetalFX, a process that requires only one pass through the press by applying
either silver or gold ink to the paper before the other inks in the four-color printing process.
Since the inks in the four-color process are transparent, the metallic effect shows through
whichever color was printed on top of it, making the color on the top layer appear metallic.49 The
second option is called Metallix, a metallic finish that uses no metal particles and can be printed
on standard, non-laminated paperboard.50
Once a multi-page piece is printed, some form of binding or adhesive is generally
required. Many forms of binding are fairly sustainable, and even more options are being explored
to further lessen binding’s environmental impact. Spiral wire binding and staples are very
common forms of binding and fall under the category of mechanical binding. Being made of
metal, they can be removed magnetically from the paper pulp in the recycling process; once
removed, the staples and wires themselves may be recycled. 51 Stitching is another form of
sustainable mechanical binding as the thread holding pages together gets mixed into the paper
49
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 95.
Ibid, 96.
51
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 118.
50
pulp during the recycling process. Ring binders are very effective and sustainable as they keep
papers together and can be reused without going through a recycling plant; they may be
personalized with intention of reuse by applying custom labels that may be removed for the
binder’s next use. Adhesive binding is a more permanent form of binding using various
substances to keep pages glued together. Some available adhesives such as polyurethane or
ethylene vinyl acetate are good because of their low toxicity, but include drawbacks such as
complicating the recycling process. An environmentally friendly adhesive option is a waterbased adhesive. These adhesives are nontoxic and dissolve during the recycling process; their
adhering qualities are very similar to that of polyvinyl acetate (PVA) adhesive, but unlike
petroleum-based PVA, water-based adhesives are made only from renewable resources.52
--“Designers make the world’s most beautiful trash.”53
--A final factor that designers must consider is the destination of their project, which
includes the short-term aspect of shipping as well as the long-term destination of a landfill,
incinerator, or recycling plant. Something to keep in mind when shipping a printed piece is that
the slower the shipping is, the better. Slower modes of transportation such as trucks, trains, or
boats are much more eco-friendly; the high speed of air transportation may be more convenient,
but it also emits over thirty times as many greenhouse gases as the slower modes of transport.54
Air freight must be avoided as much as possible, and extra time for slower transportation must be
taken into consideration for the time frame of the project. To reduce the amount of greenhouse
gas emissions for whatever mode of transportation is being used, it is beneficial to look into
52
Boylston, Designing Sustainable Packaging, 43.
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 265.
54
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 96-97.
53
companies that use biodiesel fuels.55 The second important concept in shipping is to ship as little
as possible. Door-to-door distribution is a great option when the target audience is local and there
is only a small amount of print materials to be handed out. Getting paper from local companies
and using local printers can eliminate a large portion of shipping, thereby reducing harmful
emissions. If the client is a far distance away, the print-then-distribute concept may be put to use
by electronically sending the design files to a printer near the client and having the materials
printed and distributed from there. If there are a number of end locations where a finished print
material will be needed, another option is to send the design files to multiple printers in each of
those areas who can print only the number of prints needed for their region.56 If final materials
for whatever reason must be shipped a distance after being printed, it is important to keep the
weight of the shipment as light as possible. This can be done in the paper choosing process by
picking a lighter weight paper, or in the designing process by making a material as small as
possible. This minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and also saves resources; reducing the
weight of a piece by one gram would save one ton of paper for every million pieces.57
Considering the end life of a piece can change the decisions a designer makes throughout
the entire process. One of the most common destinations for designed pieces is a landfill. Here,
hazardous chemicals from ink can seep into the soil while some enter the air. If the paper isn’t
biodegradable, the piece will last for a great number of years. Incinerators are another possible
destiny. Although incinerating waste materials may create useable energy, this process can allow
harmful chemicals to enter into the atmosphere. Composting is an option for materials that
involves it breaking down in soil (so long as it is composted in the correct conditions), but the
object must be entirely biodegradable for this to be an eco-friendly end-life. Lastly, there is
55
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 138.
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 97.
57
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 220.
56
recycling. For print design, the main item entering the recycling stream is paper. The average
working person prints 10,000 pages of paper annually and wastes 1,410 of those pages.58 To top
that, more than half of the paper across the world ends up in a landfill or incinerator instead of
being recycled. When paper decomposes in a landfill, it releases the extremely damaging
methane, a greenhouse gas which traps heat twenty times better than carbon dioxide.59 While it is
hard to control where designs will end up, measures can be taken to increase recycling rates or
reuse, such as suggesting ways to prolong the life of a design directly on the piece, or to
incorporate recycling symbols and information onto designs. Without knowing where a piece
will end up, using materials that are both recyclable and biodegradable and keeping out the use
of chemicals or toxic elements in every step of the process ensures the best possible result for the
piece, wherever its destination may be. It is vital to stay away from creating materials that will
accumulate over time; if it can’t be absorbed, decomposed, or filtered by the environment, it is
most likely unsustainable.60
With problems come eventual solutions, as proven by the multitude of sustainable
alternatives brought about in response to the unsustainable trends of graphic design. Designers
may be comfortable in their current, unsustainable practices, but if they are, they most likely
have not yet learned the negative effects their choices have been having on the environment.
More and more sustainable options are being created and offered to allow designers to be
environmentally responsible; saying that sustainable options aren’t available is no longer an
excuse. As Albert Einstein said, “The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by
using thinking that created the situation.” Design is about change. It is about solving constantly
changing problems in an ever-changing world. It is time for designers to choose to change.
58
Jedlicka, Sustainable Graphic Design, 424.
Denison, Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design, 9.
60
Dougherty, Green Graphic Design, 31.
59
Works Cited
Boylston, Scott. Designing Sustainable Packaging. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.,
2009.
Denison, Edward. Print and Production Finishes for Sustainable Design. Switzerland:
RotoVision SA, 2009.
Dougherty, Brian. Green Graphic Design. New York: Allworth Press, 2008.
Jedlicka, Wendy. Sustainable Graphic Design. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010.
McDonough, William. William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle Design. TED Talks video:
20:03, Posted April 2007
www.ted.com/talks/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.html.